Poortgebouw, Rotterdam: A Dutch Case Study - 中欧社会论坛 - China Europa Forum

Poortgebouw, Rotterdam: A Dutch Case Study

Authors: Peter Blakeney & Christine Schoeffler

Date: 26 mai 2007

The “Poortgebouw” is the name of an extraordinary 19th century building, a national monument located on the south bank of the river Maas in Rotterdam. The name is equally connected to the collective of 30 inhabitants organised an association: the “Vereniging Poortgebouw”.

The recent history of the Poortgebouw (1980-2007) is a unique illustration of a social housing project under self-management in the Netherlands.

Central themes addressed in this article include:

  • squatting and self-renovation in the 1980s

  • self-management and group living

  • the transition from public to private ownership

  • the struggle against (real-estate) market logic

  • survival strategies for self-management projects

At the time of publication, the Vereniging Poortgebouw is confronted with an uncertain future. It currently remains to be seen if the efforts to sustain the Poortgebouw project under self-management and (relative) autonomy can succeed against dominant practices in the Dutch housing market.

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